


I'll Kiss Them Better For You

by IcePrincesChan



Series: [OP] {One-Shots} [6]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Banchine is mentioned, Blood, Guilt, Hurt & Comfort, Love, M/M, Mentions of Death, Sweet love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 16:40:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16308872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcePrincesChan/pseuds/IcePrincesChan
Summary: It's Banchina's -Usopp's mother- death anniversary and Luffy makes one mistake that threatens his relationship with his favourite sniper...





	I'll Kiss Them Better For You

The glass shards dag harder in his hand, but he’s not stopping before collecting all of the scattered pieces off the ground. Earlier that day, he had searched for Usopp everywhere to drag him somewhere to play. The long-nosed boy has been working non-stop for a week or so, now. And Luffy is honestly fed up with the situation. Patience has never been part of his composition. And whatever little of that trait he has cultivated from his training with Rayleigh, has been stretched thin for the past week. Luffy didn’t understand what was so important about whatever project Usopp has submerged himself into, that he couldn’t give him a bit of his attention. 

It took some time to find the sniper. He had to help Sanji in the kitchen for half an hour before Nami agreed to give him the information that he sought. In his excitement to see the other boy, he has casted maturity and common sense aside, resulting in his opening the door a bit too loudly – and suddenly – and thus, making the sniper loose his grip on the glass figure he has been working on day and night for the past week.

The moment the sound of shuttered glass reached their ears, their eyes flew down to settle on the broken shards scattered on the wooden floor. Luffy looked up at his sniper’s face, but said sniper was yet to look up at him. He was still staring at the shimmering pieces around him. Luffy took a step toward the other one, before stopping abruptly. The other boy’s shoulders shook and Luffy could make out small droplets sliding down tanned cheeks to fall down among the glass on the planks. Luffy lifted his hand, trying to reach out for his friend “Usopp, I—“. But, the curly-haired boy swatted his hand and ran out of the door, a loud sob ripping through his throat.

Luffy didn’t know how long he remained standing there, but at some point, Nami came in. Her steps and her screaming stopping abruptly as she took notice of his state. She remained rooted in her spot for some time, not uttering a word, before turning on her heels intent on going back on deck. But, before passing the door, she said “It’s always hard for him, or so he told me once. Today is his mother’s death anniversary. This year, he wanted to make her this glass figure and has been working day and night to finish it on time. But… Anyway, he’ll be staying in our room today. I don’t think he will be coming out anytime soon. But, Chopper and Robin are there to comfort him, and Sanji made him a warm drink to calm his nerves.” And with that she left.

Hours have passed since Nami’s visit. Luffy wass sure it must be past midnight. The others had dinner hours ago – Luffy refused to get out of the room before collecting all the shards and mending the figure again. And now, nothing but the sound of crushing waves could reach his ears. They must have all gone to bed already.

Looking down at his fingers, he could see blood coloring them. The glass-shards were sharper than Luffy had assumed at first. He grit his teeth against the pain and continued organizing the pieces that he managed to collect, trying – for hours now – to reassemble them into their earlier form, but to no avail.

Luffy didn’t hear the footsteps coming through the hallway, only the sound of the door opening lightly behind him. He looked around and came face to face with a sight that he didn’t expect to see for days…

… Usopp.

The long-nosed boy kept his hair down. Dark curls framing his face and falling down on his shoulders, moving like waves with every step he took. He was wearing navy-blue mid-calve pants and a baggy baby-pink long-sleeved shirt. He had a small bag that he hugged to his chest, as he came closer. He stopped in front of Luffy and the captain stood up. Their eyes locked together, neither of them saying a word. The strawhat-wearer’s gaze was soft – guilty – while the sniper’s was unreadable. And before the captain could say anything, the sniper put the bag down, taking out a small blanket. He laid it on the floor carefully. Then, he took out a small box and put it aside.

“Usopp, I—“, Luffy started. “Don’t tell me. I know.”, came the other’s answer as he took the bloodied hands in his own. He led the captain down to sit on the soft blanket and took the wooden box. Opening it, Usopp took out some ointment and bandages. “My mother died a long time ago, when I was six. Back then, I had no-one but her. The thought of her leaving me terrified me more than anything else. And I tried to lie to myself and to her, too, about her imminent fate. I told her over and over that dad will come and bring a cure with him. That she will survive. But, nothing happened. Nothing but what the fates had decided. She… She died.”, said the long-nosed boy, taking a long breath through his nose. Luffy said nothing. His face was unreadable while he looked at the other’s hands bandaging his own. “On that day, she was very pale. But, she was smiling. And until her last breath, she still spoke about dad fondly. She made me promise her that one day, I will become a brave warrior of the sea, just like him. But, she knew also how much I love making new things, and I guess that she feared that I might give I on that hobby after her death, since she was the main source of my inspiration. So she asked me to make her something beautiful every year on that same day and to make it always better than the last. I was naïve back then. I thought that she’s going to survive. But then… she closed her eyes and never opened them again.”. The bandages were wrapped securely, but the sniper kept his warmer hands around the other’s and continued “I can lie to myself most of the time, that I’m fine, that I’m happy. But, whenever this day gets closer, I just couldn’t stop myself from remembering the loneliness I had to live in for more than a decade…”; and then, he looked up into his captain’s dark eyes and smiled, a sad bitter thing that should never settle on that ever-cheerful face “I should have explained it all to you. You must’ve felt ignored for the last week. I’m sorry…”; and Luffy wanted to apologize, to tell his friend –or more than that – that it wasn’t his fault; when he was interrupted by something that he should’ve expected, but he didn’t – and couldn’t fathom to ever do. The curly-haired boy lifted the bandaged hands to his mouth and kissed gently – his soft lips grazing one finger after the other…

…. “It’s alright, now. I’ll kiss them better for you.”


End file.
